Office and Administrative Support: S-Corp Reasonable Salary Benchmarks
54 occupations, with medians from $35,070 to $76,590. 5 of them clear $60,000, roughly the point at which an S-corp election starts repaying its own overhead.
Administrative roles are usually the second hat an owner wears rather than the first. Splitting the year between the billable role and the back office is often a better argument than one blended figure.
| Occupation | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $61,390 | $76,590 | $94,390 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $55,950 | $69,500 | $85,090 |
| Brokerage Clerks | $58,620 | $65,750 | $79,800 |
| Postal Service Clerks | $56,740 | $62,130 | $70,890 |
| Postal Service Mail Carriers | $48,940 | $60,550 | $81,000 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,820 | $59,650 | $75,000 |
| Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $48,880 | $58,470 | $75,030 |
| Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,990 | $58,260 | $69,600 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (below the S-corp threshold) | $44,450 | $55,570 | $71,970 |
| Desktop Publishers (below the S-corp threshold) | $43,730 | $55,290 | $73,840 |
| Communications Equipment Operators, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $46,460 | $54,680 | $78,470 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs (below the S-corp threshold) | $45,910 | $54,210 | $63,610 |
| Financial Clerks, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $47,510 | $53,830 | $62,310 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicators (below the S-corp threshold) | $45,210 | $53,040 | $64,260 |
| Cargo and Freight Agents (below the S-corp threshold) | $45,710 | $52,260 | $63,390 |
| Proofreaders and Copy Markers (below the S-corp threshold) | $41,170 | $51,120 | $62,390 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $43,520 | $50,670 | $61,470 |
| Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping (below the S-corp threshold) | $44,030 | $50,610 | $59,800 |
| Procurement Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $43,420 | $50,580 | $60,080 |
| Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,750 | $50,340 | $62,450 |
| Statistical Assistants (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,840 | $50,330 | $63,950 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,520 | $50,080 | $60,860 |
| Loan Interviewers and Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $45,120 | $50,020 | $60,600 |
| Information and Record Clerks, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,910 | $49,500 | $59,970 |
| Word Processors and Typists (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,800 | $49,280 | $57,670 |
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $44,270 | $49,230 | $60,490 |
| Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $40,810 | $48,700 | $60,840 |
| Billing and Posting Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $42,840 | $48,500 | $58,290 |
| Meter Readers, Utilities (below the S-corp threshold) | $39,410 | $48,150 | $65,750 |
| New Accounts Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $43,920 | $47,670 | $55,100 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,830 | $47,540 | $58,000 |
| Bill and Account Collectors (below the S-corp threshold) | $39,010 | $47,030 | $56,740 |
| Correspondence Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,610 | $46,800 | $56,090 |
| Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping (below the S-corp threshold) | $39,180 | $46,380 | $54,850 |
| Order Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $39,660 | $46,170 | $54,310 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,570 | $45,930 | $50,580 |
| Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,330 | $45,920 | $53,090 |
| Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other (below the S-corp threshold) | $34,320 | $45,670 | $58,460 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $38,200 | $45,260 | $51,570 |
| Office Clerks, General (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,350 | $45,010 | $54,300 |
| Customer Service Representatives (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,870 | $44,770 | $51,780 |
| Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $37,850 | $44,390 | $59,640 |
| File Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,420 | $43,600 | $51,770 |
| Tellers (below the S-corp threshold) | $37,040 | $43,030 | $46,580 |
| Telephone Operators (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,920 | $41,740 | $51,510 |
| Data Entry Keyers (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,760 | $41,340 | $48,410 |
| Office Machine Operators, Except Computer (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,090 | $40,960 | $47,910 |
| Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service (below the S-corp threshold) | $35,470 | $39,280 | $46,450 |
| Couriers and Messengers (below the S-corp threshold) | $36,070 | $39,200 | $45,280 |
| Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service (below the S-corp threshold) | $34,820 | $38,630 | $46,530 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $33,960 | $38,010 | $45,130 |
| Gambling Cage Workers (below the S-corp threshold) | $34,510 | $37,580 | $44,680 |
| Library Assistants, Clerical (below the S-corp threshold) | $31,820 | $36,910 | $45,620 |
| Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks (below the S-corp threshold) | $29,810 | $35,070 | $38,100 |
What is a reasonable salary for a office and admin S-corp owner?
It depends on the specific occupation, which is why the table lists all 54 separately instead of giving one number for the group. 5 carry a median at or above $60,000, roughly where an S-corp election starts repaying its overhead. Medians here run $35,070 to $76,590.
National figures, and a percentile is evidence rather than an answer.Model your own state and profit, or see all occupation groups.